PM Modi Launches Program to Train India Astronauts; Corps to Include Women

By: WE staff | Friday, 29 August 2025

• India to create a diversified pool of astronauts for future human space missions
• Decision announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his National Space Day video message
• India intends to send its own astronauts to space under the Gaganyaan mission by 2027

India announced plans to create a diverse corps of astronauts for future human spaceflight missions. The program was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his National Space Day speech, where he also called for students to participate in the nation's future space missions.

Astronaut corps is viewed as the core of India's long-term human spaceflight program. The nation plans to put its first crewed mission under Gaganyaan by 2027. The program is a part of India's overall space mission, which includes developing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and a human mission to the Moon by 2040.

Unlike previous astronaut selection that only came from Air Force pilots, the new corps will comprise women and professionals from diverse career fields. This follows global trends of integrating researchers, experts, and entrepreneurs into space operations.

For the first Gaganyaan flights, four Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots—Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla, Prashanth Nair, Angad Pratap, and Ajith Krishnan—underwent astronaut training in Russia and India. Trained pilots were needed for the first flights, as the spacecraft remains in the testing and development phase.

The government has sanctioned eight Gaganyaan missions to date, comprising six uncrewed and two crewed flights. One of the uncrewed flights will also take up the first module of the Indian Space Station.

Prime Minister Modi has also indicated the involvement of the private sector in developing India's launch capacity.

Currently, the nation conducts approximately five to six significant launches every year. The vision is to grow this to 50 launches every year in the next five years. Over 300 space startups have been formed since the industry was opened up to private participation in 2020.